Haircut apron

ABSTRACT

A vest having a head aperture for placement around the neck of a wearer, wherein a circumferential seal of flexible elastomeric waterproof material is welded to the head aperture, the vest further comprising an adjustable releasable fastener secured to opposite sides of a substantially radial slit extending through the seal, the slit and fastener enabling the seal to be adjusted and secured to accommodate wearers of differing neck circumference, characterized in that the circumferential seal is an annulus, welded to and in the same plane as the vest, and having a flexibility, resilience and width such that the seal self-conforms upwardly to the neck when fastened, forming a waterproof contact band.

The present invention relates to a waterproof and hair proof cover toprotect the neck of a person during a hair cut. It may be used toprotect medical dressings or venous lines, of medical patients, fromwater ingress.

At the present time, a medical dressing or venous line applied to thetorso of a medical patient which is to be kept dry prevents the patientfrom effectively washing or taking a shower for fear of water cominginto contact with the dressing or line and causing infection. As aresult the dressing or line presents a problem to the satisfactorypersonal hygiene of the patient. The problem is exacerbated by thelength of time that a dressing or venous line has to be kept in place tocomplete healing or enable treatment of the patient.

In the case of plaster casts and dressings applied to broken limbs, someeffort has been made to alleviate the same problem by providing thepatient with a bag of waterproof material to enclose the affected limbwhilst the patient washes. The mouth of the bag is tied round the limbor secured with adhesive tapes in an effort to prevent wetting of thedressing or cast. This expedient has not proved satisfactory because ofthe failure of a tied or taped bag to keep out the water satisfactorilyat the mouth of the bag. The bag material itself does not provide asatisfactory or consistent seal.

UK patent application GB2287194 solves this problem by providing asealed waterproof tube having one open end comprising an elasticneoprene seal which secured around the limb and prevented the ingress ofwater. Though effective for the protection of limbs, such a solution isnot applicable to the protection of the torso due to the need formovement of the patient and the need for the limbs to remain free.

Despite the very long standing nature of this problem and the largenumber of dressings and venous lines that are applied annually tomedical patients, there has hitherto been no satisfactory solutionproposed to meet the problem of keeping such dressings and venous linesdry whilst the patient is allowed to wash or bathe.

In addition to providing the solution, the present invention is intendedto solve a less serious though far more widespread problem relating tohair dressing. Hair dressers often provide some form of means forpreventing the ingress of hair down the neck of customers during ahaircut. This problem is reduced by wetting the hair causing it clumptogether, this also aids styling and cutting. In addition to this, manysalons provide gowns with a draw string loosely tied around the neck, aswell as towels and rubberized mats which sit around the neck holding thegown in place and attempting to provide some degree of seal around theneck line. These are often heavy and cumbersome, but more importantly,predominantly ineffective.

There is now provided in accordance with this invention a vest having ahead aperture for placement around the neck of a wearer, wherein acircumferential seal of flexible elastomeric waterproof material iswelded to the head aperture, the vest further comprising an adjustablereleasable fastener secured to opposite sides of a substantially radialslit extending through the seal, the slit and fastener enabling the sealto be adjusted and secured to accommodate wearers of differing neckcircumference, characterized in that the circumferential seal is anannulus, welded to and in the same plane as the vest, and having aflexibility, resilience and width such that the seal self-conformsupwardly to the neck when fastened, forming a waterproof contact band.

Preferably the elastomeric waterproof seal may be coated in a sealant toprevent hair cuttings from penetrating the mesh of the elastomericmaterial. The sealant may be naphtha based.

Additionally, the sealant may have anti-static and/or low frictionproperties.

Advantageously the vest is made of a waterproof material.

Preferably the seal may be formed of a butyl, nitrile, ethylene propyldiomonomer, or latex rubber.

Conveniently the cover may be formed of a polyethylene, a polypropylene,a polyester, a polyurethane, or a polyvinyl chloride material.

Advantageously a front and rear face of the vest are joined to oneanother to form a waist band and arm apertures for receiving the arms ofa patient.

The arm apertures may additionally be provided with elastomericwaterproof seals to prevent ingress of water to the chest area of apatient.

The slit may extend from the inner to the outer circumference of theseal.

The slit may further extend substantially radially beyond the outercircumference of the seal into the vest to allow for greater adjustmentrange of the neck aperture circumference, or alternatively it may extendto the outer edge of the vest to allow the vest wrap around the neckwithout disturbing the hair.

Preferably the vest has a front face and a rear face, and the slit isprovided in the front face of the seal (and vest) such that when in use,the slit is as remote as possible from the hairline of a user.

Preferably the adjustable releasable fastener may be a hook and loopfastener, a button and hole fastener, a press stud fastener or strap andbuckle.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the vest according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a patient wearing the vest according to amedical embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 3 is a front view of a patient wearing the vest according to amedical embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a vest 10 be fitted over a medicaldressing on or venous line in the chest of a patient. Alternatively, thevest can be used as a shawl to shroud the clothing of a person havingtheir hair cut, the vest being used to keep cut hair away off theclothes and most importantly, the neck. In such a circumstance, the vestneed not be waterproof.

The vest is made as a flat blank 12 as shown in FIG. 1, having a centralhead aperture 14 for receiving the head of a patient when in use. Theblank 12 is folded in half about a line through the head aperture 14forming a front face 16 and a rear face 18.

The front and rear faces form the cover portion 20 of the vest 10. Thefront and rear faces 16 and 18 may be joined by plastic welding orbonding at the waist band 22, to prevent the cover portion 20 fromflapping. In so doing, arm apertures 24 are formed in the cover tocreate a vest 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

It should be noted that for the purposes of this patent specificationthe term vest is intended to refer to a protective garment which mayinclude a poncho that merely fits over the head of a patient, or atypical vest type garment having apertures for the torso and arms.Additionally it is intended to cover a vest having a slit extending fromthe neck aperture to the outer edge of the vest allowing the vest to bewrapped around the neck without placing it over the head of a itswearer.

For medical purposes it may be considered desirable to allow the patientas much freedom of movement as possible, and therefore, the open ponchodesign of FIG. 1 is advantageous. This is also preferential when used inhair dressing purposes.

The cover portion 20 may be of any suitable flexible material(waterproof or otherwise) such as a synthetic polymeric material. Apolyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyester, a polyurethane, a polyvinylchloride with or without a reinforcing material such as nylon mayalternatively be used.

Returning to FIG. 1, the head aperture 14 is joined about its entirecircumference to a seal 26. The seal 26 is formed from an annulus thecentral aperture of which is intended to receive the head. The peripheryof the annulus is (preferably high frequency)welded to the cover portion20 at a join 28. Welding provides advantages over bonding in that it ismore consistent during manufacture, stronger and cheaper without addinguncomfortable bulk in the sensitive area of the neck.

The seal 26 is made of a flexible elastomeric waterproof material whichis soft and compliant to the skin of the neck. The elastomeric materialmay be a synthetic or natural rubber and may in particular be a polymeror copolymer of chloroprene. The seal is arranged in the same plane asthe vest to facilitate ease of welding to the vest.

The seal therefore constitutes a band of material which can be stretchedto open the head aperture 16 to receive the head of a patient. The disccan thereafter be allowed to contract to press lightly against the skinof the neck once the vest 10 has been drawn into position shrouding thetorso. Since the seal is annular in shape it has a thickness, and whencombined with the resilience and flexibility of the material from whichthe seal is made, conforms to the shape of the neck, usually by bendingupwards to form a band seal around the neck rather than a line seal.This results in making the vest considerably more comfortable to wearwhilst still keeping out water or cut hair.

The crucial difference this provides over the prior art, particularly inrelation to its use in hair cutting, is that the seal of the presentinvention conforms to the neckline by deflecting upwardly around theneck to form a band contact. This is only possible because the presentinvention provides an annulus of elastomeric material, having asubstantial radius, allowing a greater width of resilient material toconform to the neck rather than a ring of elastic only sufficient toform a line seal around the neck, as shown in the prior art.

This has the further advantage that it can be partially pulled away fromthe neck to expose areas of the hairline for cutting or sweeping out ofstray hairs that may have become trapped, without completely opening upthe band seal, since there is sufficient axial length of circumferentialseal to remain in contact with the neck.

Additionally, since the seal is made of a waterproof material, it hasthe added benefit of guarding the visible skin of the neck againstshampoo that may irritate and against hair dye that may leave visiblestains.

To further extend the comfort of a wearer of the vest, the elastomericseal may be coated using a suitable sealant. One such example isFabsil™. This is a naphtha based product which is sprayed onto sheets ofthe elastomeric material before it is cut to the correct shape and size.Additionally silicon based coatings may be used.

The coating provides the advantage of preventing hair cuttings frombecoming lodged in the mesh of the elastomeric seal, making the sealmore comfortable. Additionally, the coating may have anti-static andanti-friction properties, intended to encourage hair to fall onto a gown(worn underneath the vest) or onto the floor. It is disadvantageous forany amount of hair to stick to seal, either mechanically or statically,since any hair can be irritating to the wearer, but perhaps moreimportantly, unwanted hair trapped within the elastomeric seals makes itfar more difficult to be removed quickly, between hair cuttingappointments.

In order to accommodate patients of varying neck size, the seal 26 andcover portion 20 are provided with a slit 30 that runs substantiallyradially outward from the inner circumferential edge of the seal 26 downthe rear face 18 of the cover portion 20 as shown clearly in FIG. 2. Itmay further extend to the outer edge of the vest to avoid the need toplace the vest over the head, as mentioned earlier.

An adjustable releasable fastener 32 is secured to the seal 26 eitherside of the slit 30. This allows the head aperture 14 to be opened tosuit differing sizes of head and neck. The fastener 32 then secures theseal around the neck of the patient at the desired level of tightness.

The adjustable releasable fastener 32 may be any suitable type e.g. ahook and loop fastener, a buckle, button and hole.

When used to protect medical dressings, the vest is positioned so thatthe slit 30 is located on the rear face of the seal 26 and the cover 20,such that it is shielded by the neck of the patient against splashingwhen the vest 10 is in place. This means the important area to beprotected from the ingress of water, namely the chest area, is protectedby an unbroken seal 26 around the front of the neck.

When used for preventing hair from falling down the neck, it ispreferable for vest to be positioned so that the slit 30 to be locatedat the front, under the chin area of its user.

The advantage that has been discovered with the arrangement as shown anddescribed in the figures is that a seal can be provided by means of theseal 26 whilst the pressure exerted against the skin is not sufficientto cause harm to the circulation of the user to cause any otherdeleterious effects.

In alternative embodiments relating to protecting medical dressings andvenous lines, for additional protection from water, similar seals can beprovided about the arm apertures 24.

1. A vest having a head aperture for placement around the neck of awearer, wherein a circumferential seal of flexible elastomericwaterproof material is welded to the head aperture, the vest furthercomprising an adjustable releasable fastener secured to opposite sidesof a substantially radial slit extending through the seal, the slit andfastener enabling the seal to be adjusted and secured to accommodatewearers of differing neck circumference, wherein the circumferentialseal is an annulus, welded to and in the same plane as the vest, andhaving a flexibility, resilience and width such that the sealself-conforms upwardly to the neck when fastened, forming a waterproofcontact band.
 2. A vest as claimed in claim 1, where the elastomericwaterproof seal is coated in a sealant to prevent hair cuttings frompenetrating the mesh of the elastomeric material.
 3. A vest as claimedin claim 2, wherein the sealant is naphtha based.
 4. A vest as claimedin claim 2, wherein the sealant has at least one of anti-static or lowfriction properties.
 5. A vest as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vestis made of a waterproof material.
 6. A vest as claimed in claim 1,wherein the seal is formed of a butyl, nitrile, ethylene propyldiomonomer, or latex rubber.
 7. A vest as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe cover is formed of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyester, apolyurethane, or a polyvinyl chloride material.
 8. A vest as claimed inclaim 1, wherein a front and rear face of the vest are joined to oneanother to form a waist band and arm apertures for receiving the arms ofa patient.
 9. A vest as claimed in claim 8, wherein the arm aperturesare also provided with elastomeric waterproof seals to prevent ingressof water to the chest area of a patient.
 10. A vest as claimed in claim1, wherein the slit extends from the inner to the outer circumference ofthe seal.
 11. A vest as claimed in claim 10, wherein the slit furtherextends substantially radially beyond the outer circumference of theseal into the vest to allow for greater adjustment range of the neckaperture circumference.
 12. A vest as claimed in claim 1, wherein thevest has a front face and a rear face, and the slit is provided in therear face of the seal such that when in use, the slit is as remote aspossible from the chest area of a patient.
 13. A vest as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the adjustable releasable fastener is a hook and loopfastener.
 14. A vest as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustablereleasable fastener is at least one of a button and hole fastener, apress stud fastener and a buckle.